


A Moment

by randomwriter57



Series: Sormik Week 2018 [1]
Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, I FORGOT A TAG, Kissing in the Rain, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Romance, all that good stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 10:24:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,049
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15661323
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/randomwriter57/pseuds/randomwriter57
Summary: Sorey has been waiting for the right moment. The weather doesn't feel like co-operating with him.





	A Moment

**Author's Note:**

> i can't believe it's already sormikweek again! it's been a whole year since i posted my first toz fic. honestly, i can't believe it.  
> anyway, this one came from watching too much _Say Yes to the Dress_ with my mum. enjoy!
> 
> Written for [Sormik Week 2018](http://sormikweek.tumblr.com), day one: Joy/Sadness (Rain).

Sorey has been thinking about this for a long time.

Maybe it’s only because he’s prone to over-thinking, but he feels as though every detail needs to be perfect. With his friends giving him “advice” on how best to go through with this, too, he keeps coming up with new ways in which this might be entirely messed up. If he could ask Mikleo, this would surely go exactly to plan.

Except that’s the point: he can’t ask Mikleo.

Mikleo is the one he’s proposing to, after all.

Sorey is trying to keep it on the down-low. No big parties, no fireworks, no extravagant professions of love in the form of Asgardian sonnets. It’ll only be him and Mikleo, alone together, and a moment. Hopefully the right moment.

Sorey doesn’t know what he’ll do if it isn’t the right moment.

He and Mikleo have waited long enough, in his opinion, to make things official. In the words of Rose, they’ve practically been married since birth, but it would be nice to be able to tell people they are married. Having a “lover”, he’s found, has connotations of the relationship being a temporary one. With marriage, there’s an assumption that the couple will stay together, through thick and thin, for the rest of their lives.

(Of course, that’s not always how it works. It would be much simpler if his view of marriage was one shared by the world, but the world is complicated. In any case, it’s the sentiment that matters most. Mikleo will appreciate that.)

Besides he’s done his research. In his youth, he read every book in Elysia and coerced every piece of information from the Encyclopaedia of Gramps. Now a young adult, all he wants is to spend the rest of his life at Mikleo’s side, no matter what.

A wedding, rings, vows - once he asks the question, it will be real. Part of him can’t wait, despite himself.

He prepares in advance. He takes Lailah and Rose to help him pick out a ring, the former because she’s known them the longest, and the latter because she has a good eye for quality. After a long day of trawling through every jewellery shop in Ladylake, Sorey is ready to suggest they leave it for the day when he sees it: a beautiful gold band inlaid with sapphires, the gold swirling around the gem to highlight it. The ring is subtle, elegant and refined, perfect for a man who fits the same description.

It rests in a white box at the bottom of his bedside drawer, underneath all the stuff Mikleo has no need to go through, burning a hole in his consciousness.

He’s already decided where he’ll do it, too: near the Mt Mabinogio Ruins in Elysia, where the sky expands endlessly and they both treasure memories of their lives up until now. The excuse will be that they’re visiting Gramps. Since they live in Ladylake now, they don’t see him as often as they once did. Gramps is in on it, and he’s promised not to interfere.

They’ll go out to the cliffside, watching the sun slowly set, and Sorey will turn to Mikleo.

Then he’ll do it.

At that point, all he can hope is that Mikleo wants the same thing he does: a life spent at each other’s sides, with matching titles to prove their love. Of course, he can’t help the shred of doubt in his head, making him wonder if Mikleo would want such commitment in his life.

Well, he’s going to find out eventually. He’s not going to leave it any longer.

Taking a deep breath, Sorey goes to ask Mikleo if he wants to visit Gramps.

 

* * *

 

Elysia doesn’t change much over the course of a year. Most of the time it’s beautifully sunny, with a calm breeze and a cooler climate than the cities beneath the mountains. They don’t get much snow in winter, and the heat isn’t excessive in summer. It’s a place of moderation and peace. Sorey couldn’t be happier to be back.

Except, when they arrive in Elysia, dark grey clouds fill the summer skies. Mikleo groans, his hands clenching the steering wheel of their shared car.

(Gramps got it for them, before they left for university. Sorey’s surprised it’s even lasted this long. Then again, he can only thank Zaveid for his help repairing it every time it breaks.)

“A summer storm?” Mikleo says. “In Elysia?”

“It’s unexpected, that’s for sure,” Sorey says, his hopes fading.

Mikleo pulls up outside Gramps’ house, and they head inside with their luggage, greeting Gramps at the door.

“I’ll take the luggage through to our room,” Mikleo says, taking their shared suitcase from Sorey and dragging it out of sight.

Gramps turns to Sorey. “When do you plan on asking him?”

Sorey bites his lip. With the weather like this, both he and Gramps know it won’t be any time soon. “When the rain lets up,” he says, though he’s not sure when the rain will even begin to fall.

Mikleo returns before Gramps has the chance to reply.

They enjoy a delicious meal together, catching up on the time that has passed since they last saw each other properly. Despite Sorey’s original plans being delayed, he can’t deny that it’s nice even just seeing and talking to Gramps again. That’s half the reason he’d wanted to do this in Elysia. This town is filled with memories and people they treasure. Getting to see them again is like killing two birds with one stone.

But even later, once they all head to bed, he can’t erase his worries from his mind. He sits on the edge of the bed nearest to the window, gazing out into the dark grey sky as Mikleo changes into his nightclothes behind him. Outside, the trees shake with the wind, bent over with the force of trying to stand against it. They seem a lot more tenacious than he feels, right now.

“Sorey.”

He turns to see Mikleo at the other side of the bed. Mikleo’s gaze does not waver, made harder than usual by concern.

Pulling his lips into a strained smile, Sorey says, “What’s up?”

Mikleo, of course, cannot be fooled by Sorey trying to act natural. “That’s what I should be asking you. There’s been something on your mind since we got here.”

There’s no getting out of this one. Sorey swallows a lump in his throat, then shakes his head. “It’s nothing. I’m just worried about the storm, is all.”

For a moment, Mikleo stands his ground, but he soon softens. His voice gains a teasing tone. “What, are you scared?”

“Huh? No way!” Sorey laughs. “Although, if you want to hold my hand to keep me safe, I wouldn’t say no.”

The Mikleo of a few years ago, back when they were awkward teens with less experience in the romance department, would have blushed and stuttered in a way that Sorey always found hilariously adorable. Nowadays, the gorgeous laugh he gives is far more satisfying.

Instead of holding his hand, Mikleo moves to sit on the bed, cupping his cheek to pull him in for a long, slow kiss. Now when his heart beats faster, it definitely isn’t a bad feeling.

“Seriously though,” Mikleo says when they part. “If there’s something up, you can tell me.”

“I know.” Sorey presses his forehead against Mikleo’s. Somewhere along the line, his hand has become caught in Mikleo’s hair, and he strokes through it, happy to find it loose from its usual high ponytail. “I’m just worried in case something happens, like if someone’s roof caves in, or if there’s a rock slide. It’s nothing.”

Mikleo lets out an exasperated puff of breath. “That won’t happen. Even if it turns out to be a big storm, everyone will be okay.”

As Mikleo pulls him in for another kiss, all Sorey can hope is that he is right.

 

* * *

 

Unfortunately, as it turns out, that quote about ‘the best laid plans’ turns out to be entirely right. Over the next couple of days, the ring burns a hole in his pocket as the rain continues to fall, grey clouds continuing their descent over the village. In addition, they’re both swept away by so many commitments that Sorey hardly sees Mikleo during those days. The only times they see each other are the evenings, when they sit down for dinner together with Gramps and fall asleep, exhausted, in each other’s arms.

With their visit only being planned as a week-long event, when five days pass with no action on Sorey’s part, he can’t help feeling like he’s running out of time. If he doesn’t find the time to ask Mikleo soon, he’s not sure he’ll ever work up the courage. The one thing he doesn’t want is for him to let this opportunity slip out of his grasp.

Perhaps that’s why he can’t sleep on the fifth evening. After tossing and turning for a while, he heads out into the night, alone. A cold wind bites at his skin, but it’s refreshing after the heat of his stressful thoughts. Besides, there’s no point in going back to get a jacket; the skies, though they still hold dark clouds, don’t look ready to rain down upon him just yet. If he can have a few minutes just to think this through and to make a new plan, maybe tomorrow he’ll have the courage to take Mikleo to one side and finally make his move.

The cliffside near the ruins is silent when he gets there. Not a soul is in sight, which allows him to relax for a while. Though he can’t see the vast expanse of stars, it feels nostalgic to come back here, knowing how many times he stood here with Mikleo throughout their childhood and adolescence.

A smile forms without thought on his lips at the memory of those times. He remembers lying with Mikleo on this cliff, cloud-gazing and dreaming of the huge world which lay outside their home village. Once, when they were twelve, they spent a night here with their favourite book, debating about the ruins nearby until their eyes couldn’t stay open any longer.

When they were fifteen, they’d shared their first kiss here, at the break of dawn. Mikleo had woken up earlier than usual, and Sorey also woke up, hearing him leave. He followed him here and joined him, and their tiredness made their emotions flow easily, breaking through the barriers of worry they’d unknowingly built.

Sorey lets out a long breath, closing his eyes as the wind envelops him, comforting him. It reminds him that everything will be alright, in the end. All he has to do is find that courage that brought him together with Mikleo in the first place and use it to take their relationship forward.

“You’re up late.”

The sudden sound of Mikleo’s voice surprises him. He turns around sharply, noticing his boyfriend standing a few feet away, his long hair tied back in a loose ponytail. Though he’s wearing his pyjamas, the jacket he wears over the top of them is far more sensible than the one Sorey left back at the house before heading out. Judging by the goose bumps forming on his arms, maybe he should have brought it after all.

“Mikleo,” he says. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“When you sleep next to someone for as long as we have, you tend to notice when the other person disappears,” Mikleo says with a shrug. “What’s wrong?”

Mikleo has always been far too perceptive of Sorey’s emotions. Though it’s part of what has made their relationship work for so long, he can’t help but feel a little silly that this situation has occurred.

“Couldn’t sleep,” he says. It’s not technically a lie, so it rolls off his tongue easily. “I thought the fresh air might help.”

“If all you needed was fresh air, you didn’t need to come all the way out here,” Mikleo points out.

“But you knew I’d be here,” Sorey says.

For a moment, Mikleo pauses. Letting his eyes fall, he says, “I just had a feeling, that’s all.”

With a rush of affection for his partner, Sorey heads over to stand by Mikleo, letting his hands fall on his waist. He touches their foreheads together, and their noses brush, cool against each other’s skin. “Don’t worry, I’ll be able to sleep better now.”

Mikleo smirks. “You might, yeah. But if you start grinding your teeth, you’ll be giving me a hard time.”

“Hey! There are plenty of better ways to give you a hard time.”

“Like what?”

A moment after asking the question, Mikleo seems to realise that it was the wrong one to ask, but it’s too late. Sorey grins impishly, and before Mikleo can push him away, he digs his fingers into Mikleo’s ribs, tickling the sensitive skin beneath his clothes. Mikleo squirms, trying to fight back, his own hands darting out to prod at Sorey’s abdomen. Even in tickle fights, they’re evenly matched, and Mikleo manages to get a few good attacks in there. Before Sorey realises it, he’s lost the upper hand, and he surrenders his laughter to Mikleo’s touch.

Suddenly, Mikleo stops, hovering by Sorey’s hips. “What’s this?” he asks breathlessly.

His hand hovers over Sorey’s pocket, where a box presses against the fabric, poking out in a completely unsubtle fashion.

“Er,” Sorey says succinctly. “It’s nothing.”

Mikleo looks up at him with a raised eyebrow. “If it’s nothing, you won’t mind telling me what it is. Right?”

Sorey averts his gaze, his teeth grazing his lip. “Okay, it’s something, but I don’t know if now is the time…”

“Sorey,” Mikleo says, grabbing his attention with a harsh tone. “If it’s important, just tell me. We don’t hide things from each other, do we?”

Those words scratch an old wound in Sorey’s heart, and he remembers the last time Mikleo said them to him. Back then, he’d promised himself he wouldn’t make Mikleo say them again.

“Okay,” he says. “I’ll tell you.”

He stands back, putting about a foot of distance between them.

“I meant to tell you this sooner, but the weather had other plans,” he says, fumbling in his pocket for the box. “Don’t freak out.”

Mikleo doesn’t answer, though the way his mouth stays open, ready to say something but never voicing his thoughts, tells him all he needs to know about Mikleo’s expectations for this.

But this is it. Now is the time.

They’re near the ruins but the sky is cloudy. The stars are hidden but they are alone. This moment exists for them.

It’s not perfect, but in a way, it is.

Grasping the box, Sorey lowers himself onto one knee.

“Being with you is pretty neat,” he says, pulling the box out of his pocket. “I want to stay with you for good. And this is probably the best way of doing that.”

It takes a moment of fumbling, but he gets the box open. When he holds it out, green eyes meet violet.

“Will you marry me?”

The moment those words come out of his mouth, a shower of rain comes from nowhere. Immediately they are both soaked, and Sorey hurries to close the ring box before it gets damaged-

Except a pair of cool, pale hands stop him, holding it open.

He looks up to find Mikleo right in front of him, eyes soft with emotion. There’s water in his eyes, and Sorey knows it’s not from the rain.

“Yes,” Mikleo says with a laugh. “Of course I’ll marry you, you dummy.”

Sorey feels weightless.

“Really?” he says in breathless disbelief.

Mikleo rolls his eyes and grabs his face, pressing a rain-soaked kiss to his lips. The brief taste is addicting, and Sorey tries to chase after him, craving his warmth. Mikleo pulls away before he can return the kiss. “I could hardly give you any other answer. Being with you is pretty neat, after all.”

The re-iteration of Sorey’s sloppy proposal makes him laugh, and Mikleo’s laughter joins his, their joy floating into the sky.

Their lips come together once more, the contact heating them up as the cool rain continues to crash around them, a symphony of nature coming to crown this joyous moment. In a way it feels fitting that it’s happened like this - Mikleo’s always been partial to rain, after all.

“I love you,” Sorey says when their lips part.

Mikleo’s grin, paired with the shining wonder in his eyes, is a beautiful sight to behold. “I love you too.”

It takes a few minutes for Sorey to remember the ring, and though the rain makes it troublesome to handle, he slides it onto Mikleo’s right ring finger, a perfect fit. At this moment, it feels all the more real. His heart swells with emotion, and he feels heat prickling at the corners of his eyes.

Similarly, Mikleo looks at the ring with a swirl of happiness and disbelief in his eyes, a tear falling down his cheek. When Sorey kisses the ring on Mikleo’s finger, he covers his mouth with his free hand whilst the other shakes in Sorey’s grasp.

“I’m so glad you asked,” he says when he gets his breath back, making Sorey meet his gaze once more. “I’ve thought about it a few times, but I could never work up the courage.”

Sorey’s heart melts. “You thought about proposing to me? You know I’d have said yes, right?”

Mikleo puts a hand into his hair, ruffling it affectionately. “I do now, obviously. But you must know how it feels.”

“Yeah, I put it off for a while. But it’s worth it.” Sorey stands back up, pulling Mikleo close. His left hand still holds Mikleo’s right one, his thumb grazing over the gold band. “Now I get to see you happy, with this ring on your finger, and to know we’ll be together from now on, too.”

With a happy hum, Mikleo surges forward to capture his lips again. With the two standing, drenched to the bone but more buoyant than a ship on open waters, Sorey can only smile.

There couldn’t have been a better, more fitting moment than this.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me [@luzrofrulay](http://twitter.com/luzrofrulay) on twitter / [@luzrof-rulay](http://luzrof-rulay.tumblr.com) on tumblr for more Tales Of ramblings | [@randomactuallywrites-57](http://randomactuallywrites-57.tumblr.com) on tumblr for more writing!


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